It’s been 17 years since Newfoundland folk/roots trio, The Ennis Sisters, launched their debut album Red is the Rose to critical acclaim. Today the sisters (Maureen, Karen and Teresa) announce the release of their 8th full-length studio album, Stages, with a hefty tour of Newfoundland to follow.
Stages is an 11-track collection of songs inspired by the trio’s Newfoundland-folk beginnings. Produced by Maureen Ennis and sought after Newfoundland multi-instrumentalist Billy Sutton, the sibling’s trademark harmonies soar above a mix of original songs and cleverly arranged covers.
Stages opens with a moving remake of an Ennis Sisters’ classic, Out From St. Leonard’s. Originally released on their 1997 debut album, Red is the Rose, the song powerfully describes the hardships endured by residents who were relocated during The Newfoundland Resettlement Program in the mid 1960’s. The sisters’ award-winning harmonies take centre stage throughout the entire album, especially on “Dreaming my Dreams With You” and “Killing The Blues”. Maureen provokes a sense of longing for the comforts of home with her song, Take me Home, while tenderly capturing the unbreakable bond between a mother and child with A Lullaby. Lush layers of mandolins, accordions, and fiddles lazily waltz along, evoking a sound reminiscent of The Band on Teresa’s song, The Pines.
The album’s title not only symbolizes the traditional workstations of the Newfoundland fisherperson, but also represents the world stages on which The Ennis Sisters have performed and the life stages they’ve experienced over their nearly two decade long music career.
– East Coast Kitchen Party